Vira-Lata

Underdog, was of course, purely Wally Cox's persona

Simon Bar-Sinister was based on Lionel Barrymore(Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life")

Riff Raff - The name is taken from George Raft, but sounded a lot like Sheldon Leonard

Tennessee Tuxedo - Of course, this was Don Adams' characterization

Baldy Eagle - Based on Ned Sparks, known for the deadpan monotone delivery of lines in his movies, in the 1940's

Yakety Yak - Based on Joe E. Ross (Fred Gwynne's partner in "Car 54: Where are You?")

Major Minor - Terry-Thomas, comedic British Actor of the 1960' and 70's

Savoir Fare - Kind of like the Pepe LePew variety of characterization.

Colonel Kit Coyote - The name is based on Kit Carson, a figure in the old American west, but his mannerisms are liked many characterizations of Colonel/President Teddy Roosevelt(see: Robin William's portrayal of Roosevelt in "A Night At The Museum"[2006])

Seargent - sounded something like Brian Keith, or Buddy Ebsen's portrayals in the Daniel Boone TV series? Maybe not.

I'd love to know if anyone has any ideas on what personalities Stanley Livingston, Chumley, Jereboah Jump, Tiger, Cad, Miss Polley, and Klondyke Kat were based on.

In heraldry, a coat-of-arms with the "bar sinister" or "bend sinister" indicates a bastard. This isn't the only case of cartoons sliding in somewhat "adult" references.

Dudley Do-Right once chased a villain to a place called "Colderinell" (say is fast). I might not have spelled it right, but the concept is the same.

I'm certain there are many others like it that I didn't catch but hey, I was a kid at the time.

I have to agree with several other reviewers that the cartoons of those days beat the heck out of those seen today. I think cartoons started going downhill when "...and it would have worked if it weren't for those meddling kids" became the tagline.

When I was a kid, this show would come on TV at 6 AM, and I would force myself to get up that early to watch it. I remember always feeling that the other cartoons (Gopher Indians and Commander McBragg) were underwhelming. I just wanted to get back to the Underdog stories. Some other reviewers here mention Tennessee Tuxedo and other cartoons as being part of the show. I'm almost at the end of season 2, and the other cartoons have all been the Gopher Indians and McBragg. It would be nice to get some variety here. Before reading the other reviews, I predicted that a few people would have an issue with the lack of political correctness in the Gopher Indian cartoons. I found these cartoons repetitive and only mildly amusing. However, I wasn't offended by them. Too bad, that we can't rewrite history, and make everything the way some people think it should have been. It's only a silly cartoon! Get over it! Overall, the Underdog segments were more imaginative and more interesting. My only quibble with Underdog was Sweet Polly singing "Where, oh where has my Underdog gone?" I could have easily done without that.

The cartoon was not only a favorite of mine as a child, but of my late father's as an adult. There were the gimmicks of where every phone booth he heads into to change from Shoe Shine Boy to Underdog explodes, as well as how he always crashes through roofs and walls even when there are door or window openings nearby, as well as his talking in rhyme. But what makes the comic work is the witty writing.

Examples include how he makes Simon Bar Sinister dizzy by flying in circles around him, thus preventing him from using his snow gun, or the clever ways he defeats a flotilla of alien flying saucers, or how he makes the Wicked Witch of Pickayoon wealthy by compressing lumps of coal into diamonds, or how he sends villains directly into confinement or jail. Too bad the DC Superman didn't have that level of cleverness...but then he didn't have Underdog's computer brain.

Trivia has the villian, known as Riff Raff, to be imitating George Raft. I've seen and heard George Raft in the movies. He didn't sound like that at all. If anything, Riff Raff sounds like Sheldon Leonard who, frequently, played "heavies / tough guys" in the movies.

I'm no authority but I do watch a lot of TV and movies. See if I'm wrong. If I am then I'll be glad to retract this review, if possible, asap.